Shakur Stevenson Responds to James Toney’s ‘In My Era’ Criticism

Throughout his 92-fight, 29-year career, International Boxing Hall of Famer James Toney (77-10-3-2 no contests, 47 KOs) never lost via knockout. That’s 688 rounds during which he stood toe-to-toe and traded punches with many of the sport’s elite.

That style of attacking carries over into Toney’s opinion, and even in his retirement, the Detroit legend fires off his takes with jab-like accuracy and frequency.

Boxing, like most sports, has a generational divide. Athletes from every era or decade believe that their time was the best time. The phrase “back in my day” may not be bandied about with regularity, but the general feeling exists. With that, Toney discusses his feelings about one of the sport’s better current fighters.

Toney calls out Stevenson’s P4P status, Stevenson responds

Shakur Stevenson is regarded by many as one of the best fighters in the sport. Stevenson has held four world titles in four separate weight classes. Yet, Toney doesn’t believe those accolades are enough.

“What has he done? No. Wrong era. If he did it in my era, it’d be impressive. If you want to be top dog, fight the best fighters out there. You know what I’m saying? And don’t make excuses.”

Shakur Stevenson was quick to reply to Toney, replying to the video on X, saying, “Impessive huh Sir James? nah I’m glad I wasn’t in your era big homie I get to create my own legacy.. U was a great fighter back in then day killer, As i am in my era”

Impessive huh Sir James? 😂 nah I’m glad I wasn’t in your era big homie I get to create my own legacy.. U was a great fighter back in then day killer, As i am in my era 🦾 https://t.co/h4cEWWMdgJ

— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) August 17, 2026

Is Shakur’s resume enough?

Stevenson holds an unblemished record and victories over four world champions. That alone helps establish a strong narrative in which the undefeated junior welterweight champion breaks through onto the list. Toney’s opinion about the era seems rooted in the fact that the previous era had fewer champions and no “Super” or “Regular” title distinctions.

Ring Magazine, well regarded for its pound-for-pound list, currently has Stevenson in the No. 3 spot. Toney thinks David Benavidez should be first. That could be because of style. Stevenson does not present as a banger who loves to brawl on the inside. Benavidez doesn’t just hunt for the stoppage; he succeeds, knocking out 26 opponents in 32 career fights.

Toney mentioned the difference in eras. In his day, big fights seemed to be made more quickly because of a different mindset. Promoters, not streaming services, dictated where fighters were. Plus, for all their flaws, old-school promoters cared about making the most money and pushing for big-money fights quickly. They didn’t care about logistics. Instead, they wanted to deal in the moment, with the bigger paydays ahead.

Stevenson is a world-class fighter with the record and skill set to back it up. While he will need to keep lining up quality fights, his reputation looks to be almost solidified.